Hum - Green To Me (Official Music Video)

I’ll stake my claim and shout it loud: Hum’s Bryan St. Pere wielded sticks like a sorcerer, conjuring rhythms no mortal drummer could match. His kit was a throne, and he ruled the beat with a swagger that’d make lesser percussionists fumble their mallets in shame.

This song is probably in my top-five favorite songs of all time.

The song "Green to Me" by Hum, from their 1998 album Downward Is Heavenward, is a staple of alternative rock and post-hardcore, blending shoegaze and grunge influences with introspective, metaphorical lyrics. Written by frontman Matt Talbott, it explores themes of emotional vulnerability, nostalgia, and complex relationships, wrapped in vivid imagery like “the morning image from the satellite is all blue and green” and “wounds to clean” with “here's a rag, here’s some gasoline.” The track, a radio single, didn’t match the commercial success of their earlier hit “Stars” but earned a cult following for its atmospheric depth and poignant melody.

The "Green to Me" music video, released in 1997 (often dated 1998 with the single), was directed by an uncredited team. It features a predominantly green-tinted aesthetic, with surreal and abstract elements. The video’s style complements the song’s dreamy yet abrasive tone but has been criticized by some fans as underwhelming compared to the track’s emotional weight. One Reddit user noted it “isn’t worthy of the music or lyrics,” though it still resonates with devotees of Hum’s aesthetic.

Note-Worthy Anecdotes

Fan Catalyst: For some, “Green to Me” was a gateway to Hum’s discography. A Reddit user shared how the song, as a radio single, sparked their fandom despite initially overlooking the band after You’d Prefer an Astronaut. Its airplay, though brief, positioned it as the album’s most radio-friendly track in certain markets.

Tribute Cover: The song’s influence endures, as seen in a 2011 cover by Funeral for a Friend on the Hum tribute album Songs of Farewell and Departure. This cover, among others, highlights how “Green to Me” inspires artists across genres to reinterpret its raw emotion.

Lyrical Inspiration: Talbott’s lyrics stemmed from personal introspection, evolving through multiple drafts. The song’s abstract imagery, like “wires to the temples” and “chemical ride,” invites diverse interpretations, with fans on platforms like SongMeanings debating its allusions to healing, loss, or even sci-fi-tinged transcendence.

Blog Spark: A fan’s question, “What is ‘Green to Me’ about?” inspired a blogger to launch a music analysis site, with the song as its first entry. Though the blog only has two posts in four years, it underscores the track’s thought-provoking impact.

While not a chart-topper, “Green to Me” remains a touchstone for Hum’s cult fanbase, its video a curious artifact of late-’90s alt-rock visuals, and its lyrics a canvas for personal reflection.

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Lyrics

The morning image from the satellite is all blue and green
And we've all got wounds to clean
Here's a rag, here's some gasoline

She wakes up fine and rested well
Released at last from in the sleeping cell
Breathing comes with ease, it's a sweet revenge
Built on a chemical ride, my medicine man is the best
Wires to the temples, lace them on, let's see how we sound

It's all green to me
What a sweet revenge
It's all green to me

I see them lift off one by one, I see a cool spot here, let's bring her down
Level to the ground, a lovely mess, that I am blessed to see, of me, of me
She lifts her wings up high, sends her shrill of a lifetime until we die
And all the dreams, details affected in the colored sky

The morning image from the satellite is all blue and green
And we've all got wounds to clean
Here's a rag, here's some gasoline

Lift up your skies and all the other times you realize
It's all green to me
It lifts up your days in a single phase, I felt your hand
It's all green to me
Lift up your skies and all the other times you realize
It's all green to me
It lifts up your days in a single phase